Former Chiefs scout Don Klosterman once said, “The first time I saw Jerry Rice, I thought of Otis Taylor.” Perhaps the most electrifying performer in team history, Taylor was the prototype modern wide receiver well before big, fast, elusive receivers of his size – 6-foot-3, 215 pounds – became the norm. Wooed away from the clutches of NFL “baby sitters” by Chiefs scout Lloyd Wells in the most legendary caper of the AFL-NFL player wars, Taylor made a quick impact. In just his second season, he had 1,297 receiving yards, leading the AFL with an astounding 22.4 yards per catch average. He led the NFL in pass receiving yards in 1971, when
he was named AFC Offensive Player of the Year, but Taylor’s defining moment came in the 1969 playoffs, when he made pivotal, game-changing plays in wins over the Jets, Raiders and Vikings. Taylor was an original, from his helmet (his facemask featured two distinct single bars, rather than the conventional fused double bar) to his running style, which resembled a fluid prance. “There’s no question in my mind,” said Len Dawson, “that Otis should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.”